Women are always prey to men when they go out at night alone since they are vulnerable and this means that they have to take steps to protect themselves since this is a huge problem in every way. Young women who are scantily clad and make themselves up are prime targets for men who are ready to take advantage of their situation accordingly and who are constantly on the lookout for a quick sexual adventure. One must also be protected against burglaries and other robberies through an alarm system.
In his article, Ander Monson discussed the fear of leaving the home alone when he wrote: “Do not go outside, on dates, or to the store, alone.” He advises that girls should not go on dates alone with men, in their cars because the men might get angry if the girls do not respect their cars as they do. He also says not to date men who lean on cars. He says that girls should be careful when sitting on a car seat and being kissed inside a car or when leaning against it. Girls should avoid dating at night. He tells them not to walk alone at night. He is distrustful of everyone, men, friends: anyone could be a potential murderer. “Most women are killed by someone they know intimately”.
He discussed this phobia because he felt that a person is safer inside his or her house. But I think that it’s impossible never to leave the house. Everyone must leave home for some reason every day and that main reason is to make a living for adults and to obtain an education for children and youth. The author wants to show that nobody should leave home because it’s a scary world outside and life is better lived inside the safety and comfort of one’s abode. This concept has truth to it but people shouldn’t live in fear because they will never enjoy the fullness of life if they do. Life is about taking risks and every day we wake up and step outside the door, we face a number of risks. I agree with the author to a degree but I cannot complete concur with his idea on not leaving home because it’s simply not realistic. He is also of the opinion that people should not live alone in houses but preferably live in apartments where there are other people close by.
Maximum security assurance within the home will create a safe area for the person who takes measures to remain safe within the house according to Monson. He recommends that one should “Install alarm systems on every window, every doorway in your house.” In this way the home will be fully secure for the person who is afraid of leaving the home. It will become a safe haven, which is what Monson was trying to demonstrate. I think that alarm systems can help prevent burglaries and theft but it is not 100 percent guaranteed to do so. People who have alarm systems in their houses still encounter robberies and, in some cases, may face abuse or murder. We can take measures to protect our homes, families and worldly valuables but we still live in a world where crime runs wild and life is fragile. Ideally everyone who can afford it should have an alarm system but as has already been said these are not fool proof. However, prevention is better than cure.
Slender, single teenage women are prime targets of sexual violence because the media portrays this idea rampantly in its crime-based TV dramas and in daily news reports of victimized young women. Thus Monson illustrated this in the text: “You are single, seventeen, and thin. You are a thing made for television, for the nights of drama crime.” He revealed the real danger that female adolescents face in this world. Date rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence are some common crimes. They are not totally safe in a male-dominated society where crime continues to increase according to histrionic media coverage. Viewed as the weaker gender, they lay prey in the face of greed, gratification, and godlessness from their male counterparts, which Monson indicated. Therefore, I deem it imperative for women to avoid all avenues that would cause them endangerment by any means necessary. In my opinion, being a female reader, this would cause me to rebel and definitely not to take this advice, but to prove that I am independent and can look after myself perfectly well. So, this idea would backfire when suggested to most women.
Weapon ownership is another means to maintain one’s safety. Monson advised that we “Do carry mace, or pepper spray, or a bowie knife. Do carry guns if you can get them. A crossbow. A blowgun.” The more people are physically equipped to protect themselves, the better off they will be inside and outside the home. Perhaps Monson supported the purchase and sale of guns and he opposed rigid gun control laws, a hot topic in Congress at the moment. It’s definitely a controversial issue but will it really solve problems of crime and violence in society if we ban all guns? What if the issue is deeper than that? I can see the point Monson is trying to make but do we really end violence by using violence or more politely worded ‘self-defense’? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. endorsed the nonviolent resistance movement and his plan worked to end American segregation during the Civil Rights Movement. In summary, I cannot embrace the author’s directive to acquire weaponry. As a point in case for a discussion there is also the opinion that guns and weapons should be banned. Perhaps if they are banned, the perpetrator will not be able to commit his crime either when not wielding a weapon.
Monson wrote about the avoidance of deep sleep: “Do not sleep deeply.” People must not involve themselves in plethoric sleep because they need to remain alert at all times inside the home. Otherwise their lives could be threatened if they slept deeply and peacefully. Heaven forbid, a robbery should take place inside the home. Someone who sleeps too heavily would be easily victimized and your very life could be jeopardized as opposed to someone, a lighter sleeper, who would perceive the danger at hand. Generally speaking, we are more vulnerable to peril when we are asleep. But deep sleepers are at an even greater risk as Monson wanted to indicate. I certainly support his argument. It is essential that we watch over ourselves because we are the only ones who can ensure our own physical security. No one can completely rest if they want to remain in a condition of alertness. Sleep at your own risk. This concept is important to me because I am a deep sleeper and this concept makes me worry that should a break-in occur, I will be unable to do anything about it until it is too late.
I believe that confronting the reality of death is the last thing that Monson wanted to discuss. He used this metaphor in the statement, “Still you will be killed. You’re born for it. Your life is a tree meant to be torn apart by weather and electricity.” When it’s all said and done, all the effort put into staying alive seemed to fail because our fate is already determined. Everybody is doomed to die sooner or later. Nobody can escape the predestination of death, the knowledge that everyone will cease to exist in human form someday. Life is lived every day in preparation for death and in expectation of it at some point upon which she has no prior knowledge or control over. Life is short, here today and gone tomorrow as the Holy Quran and Bible so eloquently proves. In short, I totally harmonize my views with the author’s sentiments on death and the brevity of life yet in a positive way in which humanity will learn to live the best life possible. However, I do think that Monsoon wanted to preserve life as long as possible because he gives suggestions on what we should do to be able to live longer so all in all, I do not think that he wanted to discuss death, but rather, he wanted to discuss life and living. In fact he is very much focused on the fact that one must mix himself into a crowd to avoid being singled out so anonymity is important to him and the spiritual existence.
Work Cited
Monson, Ander. "Chapter Three: Visions of Gender and Romance." Writing As Revision. Fourth ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2010. 205-06. Print.
